Plot

The series relates the adventures of the African Patrol, a unit of police officers based in Nairobi. Paul Derek is an inspector in the unit whose members are specially trained to investigate crime. Their telephone number is 1356.

Cast

Background

Many independent American television production companies shot their series outside the United States in the 1950s. Not only did this give audiences a chance to see new locations not shot in a studio but costs were much cheaper, especially as these runaway productions did not have to pay residuals or pay American film union wages.

In the 1950s a genre of American television series set in Africa were so popular and prolific they were nicknamed the “Straw Hut Circuit”. Unlike most series that were filmed in the United States and used stock footage of African fauna taken on safari, African Patrol was filmed on location in Kenya.

Patrol

Military

In military tactics, a patrol is a sub-subunit or small tactical formation, sent out from a military organization by land, sea or air for the purpose of combat, reconnaissance, or a combination of both. The basic task of a patrol is to follow a known route at which sent to investigate some feature of interest, or to fighting patrols (US combat patrol), sent to find and engage the enemy. A patrol can also mean a small cavalry or armouredunit, subordinate to a troop or platoon. A patrol usually comprises a section or squad of mounted troopers, or two AFVs (often tanks).

Law enforcement

In non-military law enforcement, patrol officers are law enforcement officers assigned to monitor specified geographic areas—that is, to move through their areas at regular intervals looking out for any signs of problems of any kind. They are the officers most commonly encountered by the public, as their duties include responding to calls for service, making arrests, resolving disputes, taking crime reports, and conducting traffic enforcement, and other crime prevention measures. A patrol officer is often the first to arrive on the scene of any incident; what such an officer does or fails to do at the scene can greatly influence the outcome of any subsequent investigation. The patrol officer, as the person who is in the field daily, is often closest to potential crime and may have developed contacts who can provide information.

Patrol (novel)

Patrol is a 1927 war novel by the British writer Philip MacDonald. It is set in Mesopotamia during the First World War, focusing on the psychological strain on a patrol of British soldiers when they become lost in the desert and surrounded by the enemy. It sometimes known as Lost Patrol.